Make Your Own Taco Salad Food

BEST TACO SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Start with the taco meat.** Brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet on the stove, over medium heat. Break up the meat into small pieces. Once it is no longer pink (3-5 minutes), remove from heat. Tilt the pan and scoop the grease into a foil-lined bowl (then refrigerate and toss when solidified). Return the pan back to the stove and set over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup Premium McCormick's taco seasoning. (Or a regular taco packet will do. See notes for a homemade recipe.) Add 3/4 cup water to the pan. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Turn off the heat when there is still thickened liquid at the bottom of the pan. If you cook until all the liquid has evaporated, you will have dry taco meat; no thanks. Set aside and keep warm, covered.
• Prep the lettuce and herbs. Chop the romaine into bite size pieces and dry in a salad spinner (or dry off with paper towels). Add 1/2 cup chopped green onions and 1 bunch of chopped cilantro. Spin to mix, or add to a large bowl and toss together.
• Prep your toppings. Grate 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Chop 1 and 1/2 cups tomatoes. Thinly slice 8 radishes. Dice half a red onion. Chop 2 avocados (or make a quick guacamole with them by adding a bit of lime and salt). Thaw out 1 cup of frozen corn (I usually stick it in the microwave for 20 seconds and then let it finish thawing on the counter). Slice 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers. Crush some Juanitas or Fritos, but leave some whole for garnishing.

EASY TACO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook for 6-7 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add 2/3 cup of water and the taco seasoning mix. Stir well to combine. Add the black beans and stir gently to combine. Cook until the beans are warmed through, about 3 minutes.
• Divide the lettuce among serving bowls. Top with grated cheese, the meat mixture, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and cilantro. Squeeze a lime half all over each salad, then dollop with sour cream. Add some fresh jalapeño slices or a dash of hot sauce if you like. Serve with tortilla chips.

BUILD-YOUR-OWN TACO BAR

Steps:

• For the taco meat: Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
• Add the ground beef and pork to the hot oil and cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until crumbled and deeply browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in the spice blend and remove from the heat.
• For the taco veggie filling: Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the vegetables and cook to warm through. Remove from the heat, add the salt and pepper and stir in the salsa.
• For the taco bar: Serve the taco meat and veggies with the flour and corn tortillas, avocado, lime wedges, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, radishes and hot sauce on the side.

MAKE-YOUR-OWN-TACO-SALAD BAR

Steps:

• Dump lettuce in a large serving bowl (or the lid of Tupperware Serving Center).
• Dump chips in another serving bowl (or the lid of the Serving Center if you didn't put the lettuce in it).
• Mix sour cream and green onion slices; place in center compartment of serving center.
• Place each of remaining ingredients (except chips) into one compartment of the serving center--being artistic in your arrangement so the colors look "nice."
• BRIGHT IDEA #1: Heat up a can of refried beans, slather some on a burrito skin, and use to wrap around a hard-taco shell, then fill shell with fav ingredients--it won't crack!
• BRIGHT IDEA #2: Mix everything up in a bowl, drizzle with Western Salad Dressing, and call it Western Taco Salad.

MAKE YOUR OWN TACOS BAR

Steps:

• Chipotle Turkey Taco Filling:In a small skillet preheated over medium high heat, add oil and turkey breast meat. Brown meat 2 or 3 minutes, then add onions and garlic. Cook onions and meat together for another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chipotles, chili powder and tomato sauce. Season your filling with salt to your taste. Stir 1/2 cup water into your filling. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until ready to serve.
• Pork and Bell Pepper Filling:Heat a small to medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and pork to hot pan. Break up pork as it browns, 2 to 3 minutes. Add peppers to the pork and season mixture with cumin, cayenne sauce, allspice, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to moderate and cook filling 5 minutes longer. Add 1/2 cup water to the pork. Reduce heat to low to keep filling warm.
• Combine all Pico de Gallo ingredients in a small bowl and serve.
• To assemble bar, arrange taco shells next to the stove top. Serve the fillings from the skillets they were cooked in. Place toppings in small dishes on opposite side of the stove top. Tex Mex Red Beans and Rice or store bought refried beans make a great side dish.

MAKE-YOUR-OWN TACO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook beef and onion in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown; drain.
• Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix beef mixture, taco seasoning mix, beans, tomato sauce and pepper in cooker.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
• To serve, place lettuce and corn chips on individual plates. Top each with beef mixture, tomatoes, avocados, cheese and salsa. Beef mixture will hold on low heat setting up to 4 hours.

TACO SALAD I

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, chili beans and French-style dressing. Fill the dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Crush the bag of chips, open the bag, and toss the broken chips into a large bowl with the lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. When the meat mixture is done, combine it with the lettuce, tomatoes, chips and mix well. Then, add salsa and sour cream.